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Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
JUST when it seemed he had taken a huge leap towards a return to Dynamos, the Glamour Boys have virtually closed the door on Denver Mukamba amid revelations that coach Lloyd Mutasa, with the backing of the club executive, are not interested in the player’s services.

Mukamba resurfaced at the Dynamos training on Tuesday, having missed the first six weeks of pre-season training and the ZNA Charities Shield tournament that featured CAPS United, Chicken Inn, Highlanders and DeMbare.

Although he was allowed to train on Tuesday, Mukamba is not part of Mutasa’s plans and the coach now has the backing of club boss Kenny Mubaiwa.

“He (Denver) came and asked to train with us. We were surprised to see him come and ask to train with us and we did not turn him away as we didn’t want to distract the team,’’ said Mutasa.

“As a technical team we have long told our side of the story to management and they are fully aware of where we stand in respect of the player. We would want to know the reasons behind his sudden reappearance and where he has been.’’

Mutasa said although he was aware that Mukamba had a running contract with Dynamos, it was not a licence for him to be given special treatment.

Mukamba, who had a failed stint at Bidvest Wits in the ABSA Premiership before returning home, hogged the limelight more for his errant behaviour than the exploits on the pitch which his talents warranted.

Mutasa said the contractual matters related to the midfielder would be dealt with by the management and revealed that he had already secured replacements for the player and was now only looking for a striker to beef up his attack.

“Yes, he has a running contract with the club, but that is a matter for management to deal with,’’ said Mutasa.
“When we made our position known we went on to secure new players knowing that Denver was not part of our plans for the season and right now our search is for a striker.

“We had him in the team when we wanted the championship, but he betrayed us and we even sacrificed some people we thought were influencing him into misbehaving,’’ Mutasa said.

Mutasa also pleaded with the Dynamos stakeholders to appreciate his decision on the player which he felt was made in the bigger of safeguarding the DeMbare institution.

“He cannot choose when to come and go. At Dynamos it is not about an individual, but about the team and this club has had many greats who came and went, but the club has been going on,’’ he said.

“We cannot destroy the great chemistry that is in the dressing room at the moment.
“Some people might say we are being too harsh on him, but if you remember very well, just last year, we even gave him an opportunity to play in the national team again and what did he do? He ran away from camp’’.

Mutasa said he had enough experienced players to choose from whom he could blend with the younger players at his disposal.

“If we wanted experienced players only at Dynamos we would not have let Masimba Mambare go because apart from his experience Masimba is a leader on the pitch and inspiration to younger players.

“We cannot stoop so low to be held to ransom by one player and if there is a feeling that he is more important than the club then this needs to be explained to the technical team who have done their best for a long time to manage and put up with the situation,’’ Mutasa said.

Mubaiwa rallied behind Mutasa yesterday.
“When we get players it is the coach who selects those players and we should not interfere with his choices.
“It is the same story with Denver. The coaches gave us their position a long time ago and the coach’s wish must be respected.

“In Europe, you never see a club chairman interfering with a coach’s decision and we all know that when Jose Mourinho moved to Manchester United he offloaded Wayne Rooney even though the player was popular at the club and was the England captain.

“So I am fully behind the coach and at the end of the day what we want are results so if we are going to be telling the coach who he should have and who not to take, how are we going to hold him accountable for the results?” Mubaiwa said.

Mukamba’s case could also come up for discussion at a meeting of the Dynamos management, board and technical team in the capital today.

The club chiefs are also expected to discuss a potentially embarrassing scenario that took place at the podium when DeMbare were being presented medals for winning the ZNA Charities Shield last Sunday.

In a surprise move, the team’s bus driver and head of security, Patrick Fakero appeared on the podium to receive medals that were being presented by ZNA Commander Lieutenant-General Edzai Chimonyo and Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kazembe Kazembe.